


Little Spoons

by Erica_T



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-16
Updated: 2013-10-16
Packaged: 2017-12-29 13:41:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1006098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Erica_T/pseuds/Erica_T
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"We are at our most vulnerable when we sleep."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Little Spoons

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, I should be working on 'Lovers', and I promise, a new chappie will be coming as soon as all the wrinkles are ironed out. But I hope you enjoy the little ficlet that came to mind while I was trying to write about dresses and dancing :)

Tony wasn't sure what it was about it that stayed with him. 

They were a very private couple, understandably so, given the media frenzy that had come with their relationship going public. And Tony had boundary issues, everyone knew that. More than once Pepper had forced him out of the bathroom because she wanted to shave her legs in peace, and Bruce occasionally had to lock his lab doors if he wanted to finish an equation. Steve had given him a full on 'Captain America talk' about the levels of privacy one should be able to enjoy in one's own home, and Tony was sure that if the man knew that he'd wandered into their bedroom uninvited, he'd probably punch him in the face. And that was nothing compared to what Darcy would do to him with her taser. 

But it wasn't like they'd been, y'know, busy or anything. They were just sleeping. It was the way that they were sleeping that grabbed his attention, he supposed. They'd been facing the door to their bedroom, but all he had been able to see of Darcy was a slim arm wrapped around Steve's middle, and one errant curl of hair draped on his upper shoulder. Steve's hand had been grasping hers, the other tucked under the pillow.

It was probably the most innocent and intimate scenes that he'd ever witnessed.

And he wasn't sure why it was stuck in his head. 

So, he'd rolled it around in his head, pondered on it for a while, put is aside in another box in his head for a while and thought of other things. 

* * * 

When it finally came to him, it came as a bit of a surprise. 

They were on their way back from a mission. Barton was flying the jet, and he was hitching a lift, sitting with Steve and Natasha in the back. They were all still suited up, and it was the sight of everyone, including Steve still in his uniform that jarred his thoughts.

"Hey Cap, did you know that you're the little spoon?" 

The confused look Steve shot him told him more explanation may be required. Especially since his answer was: 

"Spoon?" 

Five minutes of Natasha patiently explaining what 'spooning' was, and the confusion cleared, replaced with an expectant, resigned look.

"Okay...so I'm the little spoon, what about it?" 

"Relax, I'm not...I'm not going to tease you about it or anything. It's just...most of the time, I'm the little spoon too."

Steve nodded, a pensive frown on his face.

"Well...it's not like it's a conscious thing that Darcy and I do...it's just how we settle, really." 

"Yeah...Pep and I, we don't always start like that, but it's usually how we end up." 

Steve shrugged.

"I don't know what to tell you, Tony. I'm not even sure why it matters..."

"It doesn't. It's just...I guess it's a little odd, we're who we are, and we're the little spoons." 

"We are at our most vulnerable when we sleep." Natasha interjected. They turned to look at her. "There is an implicit trust in presenting your back to someone. Traditionally, the 'Big Spoon', if you will, is the protector, or the caretaker, they will shield their partner from threats, while the 'Little Spoon' is willing and trusting in their partner to nurture and take care of them. For people like us...we spend our waking lives being the protectors, and to trust someone with our backs...it's a nice change to be the one protected."

"So you're saying...what are you saying?" 

Natasha rolled her eyes.

"I am saying, quite simply, that you trust your partners wholly and completely with your safety. And that is something that we need, sometimes." 

They stared at her, and she blinked, giving a small smile and glancing at the cockpit. 

"I'm a little spoon too."


End file.
